Healthy Tactics to Not Overeat at Holidays

Plus, sayings to overcome awkward conversations about food!

Social eating can be tough, especially around the holidays!

People love to comment, even if it’s not meant in a rude way, and it can be awkward and stressful.

“Won’t you try my dish?”
“Why aren’t you eating that?”
“What diet are you on?”
“Wow you eat so healthy. Do you ever live a little?!”

Over time you can use these little sayings to keep you feeling confident & keep weird conversations at bay.

“No thanks, not right now”
“I’m having X food so I’m good for now, thanks”
“That food doesn’t agree with me, so I’ll pass for now”
“I love X food so I’m sticking with this”
“Nope, I’m not a diet. This is just the food I prefer to eat”.
“I feel really good when I eat X foods”.
“I’m pretty satisfied, but thanks for offering”.

My favorite one is “No not right now, thanks” because it’s polite and isn’t a black or white NO that can seem offensive.

Also, be mindful and no negative talk about yourself or what you are eating. 

I use myself and teach my clients to use the word CHOOSE not CAN’T or SHOULDN’T. 

For example: “I’m choosing to have these foods and not having these today. I could have them, but I’m choosing not to, because of (fill in the blank).

Remember your WHY, both big and small.
Do you have a weight loss goal? Every meal does matter.
Does dairy give you terrible digestive pain? Then that’s another reason to avoid it 😅

You CAN do whatever you want, its a choice! Own that choice and the outcome. Plus, if you complain, people are much more likely to notice & comment 😁

Which leads me to this FAQ:

Do I have to avoid all the holiday food in order to stay on track & reach my goals? 😬

There is no one-size-fits all answer here!

The holiday treats can be a trigger for many. Most people go 1 of 2 routes:

1. They completely abstain, being “really good” with their choices. But this can backfire, leading to #overeating later or feeling stressed, deprived & feeling scared of certain foods.

2. They’ve said screw it way back around Halloween, and have been eating whatever…planning to “start fresh” come the New Year. They might have been able to “enjoy themselves” but they end up feeling guilty & frustrated with their lack of discipline.

It is hard to say no to something you REALLY enjoy. Do you decide to “be good” and not have any at all, or do you try to moderate?!

Option 1: If you know that eating cookies is going trigger you to overindulge, negative emotions or excaberate a health condition , then maybe the answer is No, maybe not right now.

Option 2: If you can eat A cookie & enjoy it without guilt, then by all means, this is an easy option!
But it is not always as simple as that.

What if you’re in that large percentage of people who find it hard to stop snacking once you start? Especially if you’ve been doing “good” lately? 😳

If you DO eat something “not good”, you can end up beat yourself up mentally, go wild, eating all the “off limit foods” 😖

So many people come to me saying that they’re tired of dieting, restriction, and over eating…
So, what if there weren’t “good or bad foods”, rather they’re all just choices with different outcomes? 🤔

You’re not “being bad” for having that Christmas cookie. You’re not “being good” if you choose not to either.
The healthiest decision is to make a mindful choice about what is going to NOURISH and satisfy you both mentally & physically 🙌

The most important thing to remember is that your results come from the things you CONSISTENTLY do.

I’m here to help! Questions about my services? Contact me here.